Editing Scottish Football League (section)

==League sponsorship and media rights==
From 1985, the League accepted sponsorships for its main competition.<ref name = "Crampsey218">{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=218}}</ref> Below is a list of sponsors and the League's name under their sponsorship:

*1985–1988: [[Fine Fare]] (Fine Fare League)<ref name = "Crampsey218"/>
*1988–1992: [[B&Q]] (B&Q League)<ref name = "Crampsey218"/>
*1992–1994: ''No sponsor''
*1994–1998: [[Bell's whisky]] (Bell's League)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-scottish-sponsors-decide-to-pull-out-1233382.html |title=Football: Scottish sponsors decide to pull out |first=Ken |last=Gaunt |work=The Independent |date=1 October 1997 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref>
*1998–1999: ''No sponsor''
*1999–2006: [[Bell's whisky]] (Bell's League)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfootballleague.com/news/article/bell-s-sponsorship-of-sfl-to-finish/ |title=Press Release |date=19 August 2005 |access-date=25 December 2012 |work=www.scottishfootballleague.com |publisher=Scottish Football League}}</ref><ref name = "irn-bru 2007"/>
*2006–2007: ''No sponsor''<ref name = "irn-bru 2007">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/6908169.stm |title=SFL ends search for new sponsor |work=BBC Sport |date=20 July 2007 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref>
*2007–2013: [[Irn-Bru]] (Irn-Bru League)<ref name = "irn-bru 2007"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/sfl-signs-3m-sponsorship-extension-1050942 |title=SFL signs £3m sponsorship extension with Irn-Bru |work=Daily Record |publisher=Trinity Mirror |date=18 February 2010 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/8523226.stm |title=SFL secures sponsorship extension with Irn-Bru |work=BBC Sport |date=18 February 2010 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref>

The League's cup competitions have had different sponsors, with the [[Scottish League Cup]] first attracting sponsorship in 1979.<ref>{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=239}}</ref> The competition was revamped in 1984, adopting a straight knock-out format, when [[Skol Lager]] began its sponsorship.<ref>{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=242}}</ref> [[The Co-operative Insurance]] company sponsored the League Cup for 12 seasons, until the [[2010–11 Scottish League Cup|2010–11]] competition.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/9041828.stm |title=Co-operative Insurance end Scottish League Cup deal|work=BBC Sport |date=28 September 2010 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref> It has since been sponsored by the [[Scottish Government]], under the name of the ''Scottish Communities League Cup''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/9431726.stm |title=Scottish Government crime seizures to fund League Cup |work=BBC Sport |date=21 March 2011 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref> The [[Scottish Challenge Cup]] was created by League sponsor B&Q in 1990, but it was cancelled in [[1998–99 in Scottish football|1998–99]] due to a lack of sponsorship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dafc.co.uk/articles/20120725/preview-forfar-athletic_2207955_2857331 |title=Preview Forfar Athletic |work=www.dafc.co.uk |publisher=Dunfermline Athletic FC |access-date=25 December 2012 |archive-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101230335/http://www.dafc.co.uk/articles/20120725/preview-forfar-athletic_2207955_2857331 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since 2008, the Challenge Cup has attracted its own sponsor, with [[BBC Alba]] and Ramsdens providing support.<ref name = "new ramsdens"/>

Before 1979, the major source of revenue to Scottish Football League clubs, apart from their attendances, was from the [[football pool]]s.<ref name = "crampsey259">{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=259}}</ref> In the year ended 31 March 1983, the pools generated £1.08 million out of a total of £1.46 million.<ref>{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=217}}</ref> By 1990, this source of income had been overtaken by revenue from sponsorships and television rights.<ref name = "crampsey259"/> As of 1990, 75% of these central revenues were split equally between the 38 member clubs, with the remaining 25% allocated according to each club's position in the league ladder.<ref name = "crampsey259"/> During the 1970s and 1980s, the main terrestrial television companies ([[STV (TV network)|STV]] and [[BBC Scotland]]) produced shows (''[[Scotsport]]'' and ''[[Sportscene]]'' respectively) containing highlights of league matches.<ref name = "crampsey198">{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=198}}</ref> The revenues from these broadcasts were relatively small, with the companies paying less than £1000 per match in the mid-1970s.<ref name = "crampsey198"/> [[BBC Radio Scotland]] had exclusive rights for live radio coverage of matches at this time,<ref>{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=202}}</ref> with independent stations such as [[Radio Clyde]] providing coverage via score updates and analysis.<ref>{{harv|Bob Crampsey|1990|p=213}}</ref>

The first live television broadcast of a Scottish league match was not until April 1986.<ref name = "hearts 86">{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/top-football-stories/dens-memories-reduce-former-hearts-manager-to-tears-1-1106559 |title=Dens memories reduce former Hearts manager to tears |work=sport.scotsman.com |publisher=Johnston Publishing |date=17 February 2006 |access-date=30 December 2012}}</ref> Earlier in the [[1985–86 in Scottish football|1985–86]] season, there had been no television coverage at all due to a dispute between the League and the broadcasters.<ref name = "hearts 86"/> The birth of satellite broadcaster [[British Sky Broadcasting]] (Sky TV) changed the situation significantly.<ref name = "keys">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/brian-viner-prehistoric-maybe-but-ill-miss-gray-and-keys-2196514.html |title=Brian Viner: Prehistoric maybe, but I'll miss Gray and Keys |first=Brian |last=Viner |work=The Independent |date=28 January 2011 |access-date=28 December 2012}}</ref> As ITV had an exclusive contract for live coverage of games in [[The Football League|the English league]], the first match shown on Sky was a [[Scottish Football League Premier Division|Scottish Premier Division]] match between [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] and [[Dundee United F.C.|Dundee United]] in April 1991.<ref name = "keys"/> A year later, the top division English clubs formed a breakaway [[Premier League]], signing an exclusive television contract with Sky. Live Scottish Premier Division games were shown on STV during the 1990s, but the top division clubs formed the breakaway [[Scottish Premier League]] in 1998 and signed an exclusive broadcast contract with Sky.

This left the remaining Scottish Football League clubs without live coverage, although STV continued to show highlights of [[Scottish Football League First Division|First Division]] games in their ''Football First'' show. [[Scots Gaelic]] channel [[BBC Alba]] provided coverage of Scottish Football League games, including the Challenge Cup, from its launch in 2008.<ref name = "new ramsdens"/> Live coverage on English language channels returned to Scottish Football League games in the 2012–13 season, as Sky and [[ESPN (UK)|ESPN]] agreed contracts to show [[Scottish Football League Third Division|Third Division]] matches involving [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]].<ref name = "sky deal">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19070877 |title=Sky reveals new SPL TV deal for five years |work=BBC Sport |date=31 July 2012 |access-date=28 December 2012}}</ref><ref name = "espn deal">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19113843 |title=ESPN announces deal to show SPL and Rangers live|work=BBC Sport |date=3 August 2012 |access-date=28 December 2012}}</ref> These arrangements secured revenues that had been under threat due to the [[administration and liquidation of The Rangers Football Club Plc|financial collapse of Rangers]].<ref name = "sky deal"/><ref name = "espn deal"/>